Sock are manufactured by the millions each year, typically using automated circular knitting machines. During such a manufacturing process, the operator sets up the machines with various spools of yarn and programs it to create a particular design or pattern. Once the knitting process is completed, the sock may go through various sewing, dyeing, and finishing steps as well, before it is packaged and shipped to a retail store for sale to consumers.
Socks are just one of the essential articles of clothing required for an infant. The primary function of socks for infants is to keep the infants warm since they are unable to regulate their body temperatures, and since significant heat is lost at the infants' extremities. Like socks for adults, infant socks in the market today are available in a variety of patterns, themes and composition. They are typically comprised of various knit materials, such as cotton, bamboo, polyester, nylon, Spandex, and other synthetics or natural fibers. A typical infant sock could be 80% cotton, 17% nylon, and 3% Spandex. These percentages are relative to the weight of the sock, not the area of the sock. In other words, the sock may be 80% cotton by weight.
When the infant sock is knitted on a circular knitting machine, some type of knit material, or even elastic knit material, is usually used in the cuff to secure the sock to the foot. In the other areas of the sock (e.g., sock body, toe, and/or heel), the same or similar knit materials, such as cotton, nylon, and Spandex, are typically uniformly knitted throughout these areas. The inclusion of such materials is used to add more compressive capability to the sock. In this conventional approach, a more elastic cuff is used to impart greater compression on the corresponding part of the leg, as compared to the remainder of the sock on the foot, thereby attempting to keep the sock on the wearer.
However, even though compressive properties via select materials and construction techniques have been added to socks, keeping socks on an infant remains a challenge to all parents and caretakers. Simply put, babies like to take off their socks and discover their toes. When in a stroller, crib, or car seat, infants tend to pull on the toes of their socks until they remove them, whether intentionally or not. Moreover, infants also tend to shuffle their feet in a car seat or stroller, where the friction of the heel of the sock against the car seat or other structure often results in removal of the socks. Often, these socks are lost, and not only are missing socks expensive to replace but this also presents an inconvenience when extra socks are not readily available. Additionally, even if extra socks are available or cost is not a concern, sock removal may go unnoticed for a period of time sufficient for foot exposure to cause discomfort to the infant.
With the above problems and concerns in mind, several conventional attempts to address undesirable sock removal have been explored. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,050, Houghteling proposed an elastic strap with a snap which wrapped around the infant's ankle. This approach attempts to prevent the loss of socks by a constrictive force applied to the ankle or calf by the strap. However, if the elastic strap does not fit properly around the ankle or calf, then the socks could still be removed from the foot. Also, if an elastic strap of hook-and-loop type is employed, it could possibly cause scratches or irritations to the skin of the infant if he or she rubbed his or her foot or leg against the other foot or leg. Alternatively, if the elastic is too tight around the infant's ankle or calf, this could disrupt the circulation to the foot in addition to causing discomfort to the child. Furthermore, Houghteling's proposal requires more materials and additional manufacturing steps, not to mention additional steps needed simply to place socks on the infant's feet.
In a separate conventional approach, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,183, Haas-Laursen proposed a strap which is connected to the infant's sock and clothing. Although this approach attempts to prevent the loss of socks, it requires more materials such as a strap, as well as requiring additional finishing steps in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the infant must be wearing another piece of clothing in addition to the sock in order to implement the Haas-Laursen system.